The story behind Prince's unforgettable Rock Hall performance

• Prince kicked things off with a dazzling performance of "Let's Go Crazy," "Kiss" and "Sign o' the Times."

The intrigue: The Purple One's night appeared to be done, paving the way for the inductions of Jackson Browne, Traffic, ZZ Top and others.

• Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne inducted Harrison at the night's end, before taking the stage with Steve Winwood and Harrison's son, Dhani.

State of play: As the group broke into "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," Prince emerged from the shadows.

• His nearly 3-minute solo featured him leaning backwards as a security guard held him up and then tossing his guitar into the crowd at the end.

Between the lines: Harrison's widow, Olivia, was initially skeptical of the performance, wanting only people who knew George to participate.

• Thankfully, organizers were able to persuade her.

The bottom line: The performance is immortalized at the conclusion of the 15-minute "Power of Rock Experience" film shown daily on the museum's third floor in Cleveland.

Go deeper: 40 Years of Rock Hall ceremony